Single species conservation
In many ecosystems a single species is often conserved in the hope that action towards them will improve survival chances of other species within the habitat. These organisms are also known as keystone species and their influence on fellow animals or an entire ecosystem can be enormous; species include the Eastern Red Backed Salamander and [...]
Continue reading...Animal uses within science and technology
5. November 2010
Throughout human history, humans have used animals as test subjects, before putting others into the situation, from cosmetics and medical testing, even as far as space travel. Animals are used to see what effect these processes such as space travel have upon a human like body. This practice of taking advantage of animals for such research [...]
Continue reading...Sanctuaries and zoos outside natural habitats
29. October 2010
Zoos and sanctuaries appear the world over. They are now a major part of both conservation and the entertainment industry. There are significant differences between the two with sanctuaries being set up as a safe haven mistreated animals. Unfortunately some zoos have focused upon the entertainment aspect and many of these cases are well documented. http://www.captiveanimals.org/zoos/southport.htm Another [...]
Continue reading...Does corruption encourage poor environmental strategies and animal rights?
22. October 2010
Does corruption encourage poor environmental strategies and animal rights? Most of the world biodiversity hotspots are found within the third world. Poverty is usually rife in these areas and this breeds corruption. This is also a major problem populations have to face. The extreme poverty encourages people to take the rules into their own hands and [...]
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Close Encounters: The Benefits and Costs.
8. October 2010
At first glance, eco-tourism initiatives that allow people to get close to endangered species seem like a brilliant way of dealing with several of conservation’s significant problems; raising awareness and increasing people’s passion for conservation, boosting local economies, and bringing money in to help pay to conserve not only the species in question, but others [...]
Continue reading...Differences in attitudes towards animal welfare between the west and areas of poverty
1. October 2010
Attitudes differ on many subjects from one country to another. These can be trivial issues such as the best way to prepare food to important issues such as human and animal welfare. When many western such as the handshake volunteers tour countries abroad, they can be horrified by the way some animals are treated. The [...]
Continue reading...Why are people more likely to conserve species we identify with ?
17. September 2010
Why are people more likely to conserve species we identify with? Primate conservation is a prominent aspect of conservation. They share much of our ancestry and for this reason some people feel obliged to try increase their numbers. Are other species overlooked due to their inhuman like characteristics or behaviour? It is understood by scientists that [...]
Continue reading...Would employing more community members in conservation increase its popularity ?
3. September 2010
Would employing more community members in conservation increase its popularity? All major areas of biodiversity are full of westerners that have made the choice to move to find employment within conservation. Although this is good for conservation, it takes away jobs from locals. Many communities are unsympathetic towards conservation as they feel they are excluded. [...]
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Last Stop: Colobus Trust, Diani Beach!
1. September 2010
Today, the Great Primate Handshake visited The Colobus Trust in the heart of Diani Beach. This non-profit organization was founded in 1997 and works to rescue and rehabilitate the area’s threatened primates. Primates such asthe Angolan colobus monkey, vervet monkeys, Sykes monkeys, bush babies and yellow baboons have all found aid from the Colobus Trust. When [...]
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Reforesting Bore: A Resident’s Perspective
31. August 2010
Jeremiah Muramba is a resident of Bore, making his living from small-scale farming and devoting his spare time to helping with efforts to reforest the area. As he puts it, his role is to make sure the existing forest and newly-planted saplings cannot be destroyed, either wilfully or accidentally. One of the main ways in [...]
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12. November 2010
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